Ryan Grigson Breaks Down 2014 Colts Draft Picks

Intro: The Colts 2014 rookie class has invaded the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center and is taking part in the team’s offseason program. Here’s a breakdown of what Ryan Grigson had to say about some of the rookies after two days.

INDIANAPOLIS – Fresh off the practice field, after witnessing his rookie class participate in their first week of an NFL offseason program, Ryan Grigson was in a chatty mood on Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s nice to see them out there running around, hit the sled and do what the league allows us to do,” Grigson told Dakich. “Hopefully they are what you saw with your own eyes and hopefully your evaluations come to fruition.

Here’s a breakdown of what Grigson had to say on the Colts top four draft picks:

Grigson said the Colts weren’t extremely confident that Mewhort would still be around at pick No. 59.

An NFL comparison that Grigson offered for Mewhort is Patriots six-time Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins, in terms of position flexbility.

“We were real happy getting him because (Mewhort) kind of epitomizes what we are looking for. We were looking for someone who’s versatile, who’s big, someone that’s strong, someone that can pick things up quick because you know the rookie learning curve---no matter how smart a kid is---there’s a lot going on in a young man’s life when he gets thrown into this process. I think he has the skillset and the intangibles to hit his ceiling relatively fast.”

“I think his ceiling is at guard. He kind of seems like he has that makeup. His style of play is suited at guard, but I really think he can play all the spots.”

"When Logan Mankins was coming out, he's kind of a similar type guy to me. You thought, he's probably not a left tackle but if you left him there, he would proably be a good, solid starter. But we want guys that are going to play at a spot where they are going to ascend to their highest level and I think that might be guard, but you never know."

A 20-year old with the size and speed that Moncrief has displayed obviously caught the Colts eye.

One thing the Colts didn’t imagine was sitting their at No. 90 and seeing Moncrief’s name still available.

“We were never thinking (Moncrief) was going to be there.”

“He’s going to be around some great wide receivers that he can be able to mimic and through osmosis get even better. The great thing about this kid is he doesn’t say ‘boo’. He’s willing to learn and he’s just one of those guys that keeps his head down and you don’t even know he’s there but every time you look over, he keeps working.”

It was reaffirmed with confirmation from the Colts special teams staff on how Newsome could fit in there.

Then Virginia tackle prospect Morgan Moses (the 66th overall pick in 2014) came to Indianapolis for a visit and said Newsome was the best pass rusher he had gone up against in college.

“He’s not one of these (just) athletes. He’s a football player. He was one of our highest rated special teamers.”

“From our perspective, it was going to be really, really hard to get someone after the third round that was really going to have a chance as a pass rusher for us. That’s just how our board fell. That’s how we felt as a staff."

“We needed to find a pass rusher, as part of our plan, later in the draft. (Newsome) was a guy we targeted and we are glad we got him.”

An “old school” linebacker label has frequently been thrown around in describing Jackson. Grigson calls the 255-pounder a “rough neck”, a “thumper” and “nasty”.

“He’s one of those guys you turn on the tape and within seconds you’re like, ‘Okay, this guy knows how to play.’

“He didn’t run a great 40 or anything like that, but in a short area this guy is quick. He’s 255. He’s an easy mover out there, even in the (offseason program) that we are doing right now. He’s a guy we had high. We just wanted to get him.”

Intro: The Colts put together their most dominant performance of the season on Monday night, in a resounding 41-10 victory over the Jets. Here were live in-game updates from the Colts (6-6) taking on the Jets (3-9) in Week 14.

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